PEEPS
Average Rating: 4.0 Stars
by Westerfeld
List Price: $8.99
Store Price: from $1.50
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Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
ISBN: 1595140832
Product Description
A year ago, Cal Thompson was a college freshman more interested in meeting girls and partying than in attending biology class. Now, after a fateful encounter with a mysterious woman named Morgan, biology has become, literally, Cals life.
Cal was infected by a parasite that has a truly horrifying effect on its host. Cal himself is a carrier, unchanged by the parasite, but hes infected the girlfriends hes had since Morgan. All three have turned into the ravening ghouls Cal calls Peeps. The rest of us know them as vampires. Its Cals job to hunt them down before they can create more of their kind. . . .
Bursting with the sharp intelligence and sly humor that are fast becoming his trademark, Scott Westerfelds novel is an utterly original take on an archetype of horror.
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Customer Reviews
Unique read!
5 Stars
At first, I was not into the book and thought it was a bit slow... Then I was annoyed by Scott writing about parasites... But once you start getting into the plot more it is captivating! I would recommend the book.
If you are young...
Be aware that the way "Peeps" are created is through "Sex and kisses" and the disease makes the "peeps" horny. (This may bother some, others will care less)
Also as a Christian, I was disappointed with how much evolution was in the book and Scott is definitively anit-intelligent design.
I did like the book though! Happy reading!
~ J. Wright, The South
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Not your typical vampire tale
4 Stars
Yikes, a vampire book! Vampires are usually not at all my thing, but I've heard good things about Westerfeld from teens and YA librarians, so I decided to give this one a try. It's the story of Cal, a Texas transplant to New York who happens to be a parasite-positive, or peep - basically, he's a vampire without any negative symptoms and all the enhancements - better vision, super strength, et cetera. Turns out that the vampire parasite is a sexually transmitted disease, it's spreading throughout New York, and it's Cal's job to track down other peeps before they cause utter destruction and mayhem. Every other chapter is a break from the story into a gory description of various nightmarish parasites - I could see some people really getting into these chapters, and others wanting to just skip them to get back to the story. I can't decide if they were too much of a distraction or if they worked for me (Also, I'm afraid I'll have nightmares about some of the nasties Westerfeld describes). I'm also not quite sure about the bizarre twist the plot takes towards the end. I was just settling in to buying the existence of peeps and the underground Night Watch, and then everything takes a decidedly different turn. Anyway, overall it gets a thumbs up from me.
~ Kristi A. Cates, USA
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A little disappointed
3 Stars
This wasn't a horrible book but it's not one I would choose to read again. It definitely has a different take on vampires in that vampires are not just creatures that live to drink blood and kill. Instead they are infected by a parasite for a very specific reason to help man kind. The book was extremely hard for me to get into and it wasn't until about the last 75 pages or so that I got sucked in. Then the ending was a disappointment because it is book 1 in the series. I doubt I will pick up book 2 unless I have a dry spell in books to read. Definitely did not grab me the way the Uglies story line did.
~ D. Suzuki, Newark, CA
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SCIENCE-fiction vampires
4 Stars
Things you probably never wanted to know about parasites...
A very science oriented take on vampirism, with a decent storyline.
took its time getting going, and ended a bit quickly, but I guess that's why there's a sequel.
All in all though, I still enjoyed it. I liked the characters, and learning things I'd never even heard of.
I've put my request in at the library for the next book.
~ Miriam L. A. Gunn, San Francisco, CA USA
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Interesting take on Vampires
4 Stars
Excellent book, especially if you love vamp books. It was such an original take on vampires, which is actually due to parasites. It was also refreshing to read from a guy's point of view for a change. You will like even if you are not a teen (like me!)
~ Liz Boone,
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